The Vanlifemag.de test of the QOOL passive cooler
For testing, we used four red ice packs in addition to the blue cool box. They are designed to keep the contents (16 0.5-litre bottles or food for two people) at a temperature of minus 2 to plus 2 for seven days when cooled to at least minus 18 degrees. Of course, this only works if the contents to be cooled have also been brought to this temperature beforehand.
If that is not the case, as was the case in our test, the batteries have to cool it down. We only cooled our 16 half-liter water bottles in our refrigerator to just over seven degrees. The four ice packs had a temperature of minus 19 degrees at the start of the test. Seven days in the passive cooler So off with the batteries and the bottles in the box. The manufacturer points out that the best results are achieved when two batteries are placed on the side and two on top of the cooled goods. However, this is cumbersome to handle, especially if you want to take something out of the box frequently. We therefore placed two batteries at the bottom of the box, the other two on the side and packed the bottles and our wireless thermometer inside. Put the lid on and close it. We put a second wireless thermometer on top so that we can measure the outside temperature. We leave the box outside in a covered area that the sun does not reach directly but heats up during the day. We cannot get close to the temperatures that are reached in a vehicle parked in the sun, but we can get closer to the practical situation with a box like this. The temperature differences between day and night also play a role in cooling.
The next morning we noticed that the batteries had actually cooled the bottles further. Not to plus 2 degrees, but at least to 4.3 degrees. As planned in our test scenario, we took out one bottle in the morning and one in the afternoon. On this first day, the weather was cloudy, and the outside temperature was between 15 and 25 degrees. Day 3 of the test with the Qool passive cool box On day three, the temperature in the box dropped even further. We measured 3.2 degrees. Unfortunately, our outside thermometer failed and did not respond again today. A look at another thermometer, however, shows that the temperature is similar to the previous day. On day four, our outside thermometer reports back and shows just under 38 degrees in the afternoon. The inside temperature rises from 3.8 in the morning to 4.7 degrees in the afternoon. The next day, the outside thermometer fails again, and the inside temperature rises to 6.3 degrees, because today is another hot day. On the fifth day, we simply put the base station outside, because the second transmitter seems to have finally given up the ghost. It's definitely not the batteries, we've checked and replaced them several times. Today is relatively hot again. The temperature climbs from around 25 to a good 30 degrees.
Our bottles, which had a temperature of 5.6 degrees in the morning, warmed up to 6.1 degrees during the day, but surprisingly cooled down to 3.9 degrees in the evening. The last day. The internal temperature between the remaining bottles was 4.4 degrees, and outside we measured almost 32 degrees in the morning. The water bottle we took out was fogging up, but the water was pleasantly cool.
The conclusion of our test of the Qool passive cooler is:
The Qool passive cooler passed our test without electricity. The Qool cooler kept our water bottles cool enough over the seven days without electricity. It was clear that we couldn't reach the specified temperature of around two degrees, because to do that we would have had to cool our bottles further beforehand. So the box couldn't do that. Nevertheless, it kept the temperature well over the test period. Of course, you have to make compromises if you open the box more often and especially if you put uncooled things in it. Then the cooling performance inevitably decreases. However, it is perfectly suitable for a long weekend trip in the camper van, and for an afternoon at the lake anyway.
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